National Alliance to Award Second Annual Charter School Leadership Awards to Congressional Black Caucus Members and Charter School Leaders

WASHINGTON, D.C.— On Wednesday, September 11, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools will honor eight African American leaders for raising the bar of excellence in public education and advancing student access to high-quality charter schools.

The ceremony is open to the media and will take place on Wednesday, September 11 at the Cuba Libre restaurant in Washington, D.C. from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in conjunction with the CBC Foundation’s 49th Annual Legislative Conference. The master of ceremonies for the event will be Joe Gorham of 96.3 WHUR FM radio with music provided by DJ Flava of 93.9 WKYS FM radio. “8 Black Hands” will record a live podcast with awardees and special guests.

“These African American leaders serve as role models to all of us and exemplify what it looks like to use your platform, whether it’s a political stage or passion for students, to put the needs of students first,” said Ron C. Rice, senior director of government relations at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. “There are 3.2 million charter school students across America that attend excellent public schools because of the education options these men and women have fought for.”

“I’ve always prioritized giving back through investing in public education and the rate at which Michigan was closing schools and opening jails was alarming,” said Jalen Rose, co-founder of the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit, Michigan. “When it comes to educating students in our communities we need to lead from within. In my hometown here are so many decision makers that aren’t from Detroit, don’t live in Detroit and don’t have children in Detroit schools. How can we expect them to understand the needs of our students? This is just one of the reasons why I founded the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in the neighborhood I grew up in.”

S. Representative William Lacy Clay (D-MO)
Congressman Clay has been a supporter of high-quality charter schools since he co-sponsored the bill as a state legislator to create Missouri’s charter school law.

S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Congresswoman Jackson Lee has been at the forefront of ensuring the nearly 20,000 charter school students in her district receive the same support that traditional district schools do.

Jalen Rose: Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (MI)
Jalen is the recipient of the Trailblazer Award. He has used his celebrity status to found a school in his community that graduates 100 percent of their students and gets them all accepted into college.

Michael Carter: Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (MI)
Michael uses his skills as a businessman to prepare young minds for careers, not just jobs. Michael models how businesses should invest their talents in raising up students in urban communities.

Dominique Lee: BRICK Charter Schools (NJ)
Dominique has worked his way from teacher, to education policy expert, to charter school leader to the CEO of New Jersey’s first African American-led charter management organization.

Tysie McDowell-Ray: Crossroads Charter Schools (MO)
Tysie has built a school with innovation as its cornerstone. She received federal Charter School Program dollars based on her school’s performance and proven ability to close the achievement gap.

Lagra Newman: Purpose Preparatory Academy Charter School (TN)
Lagra is a shining example of a model millennial school leader in the 21st She runs one of the best performing schools in Nashville, Tennessee.

The National Charter Leadership Award honors African American charter school leaders and members of Congress who are spearheading the movement to offer parents and students high-quality public school options. We specifically determine which school leaders receive the award based on their impact on students, their community, and being an exemplary model for the charter school sector.

The inaugural Trailblazer Award, given to Jalen Rose, was created to honor an individual or group that is not traditionally involved in education but has made a commitment to use their celebrity, status, wealth and/or brand towards the advancement of the community. Jalen has gone beyond a simple investment in a “one-off” program or event and has chosen the road less traveled; to invest in an educational institution that will endure past his own lifetime for generations to come.

The National Alliance is proud to welcome the following special celebrity guests to the reception:

Please join us to recognize and celebrate African American leaders in public education from across the country! Media should RSVP to Shaelyn Macedonio.

About Public Charter Schools
Public charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.

About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org.